Wayne Riley

Sometimes golfers come along and they are just destined for stardom from a young age. They make people sit up and take notice with the skills they possess. Simply, they just have it. I’m talking about the likes of Nicklaus, Seve, Watson, Tiger, Norman, Rory, Spieth and Koepka, to name a few. They’ve dealt with attention from a young age – it’s tied to greatness.

But what happens when someone comes along without true greatness and enjoys some success, but then gets treated like the stars listed above straight off the bat? That is exactly what happened to Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston when he won the Spanish Open in 2016. He became a cult hero in the aftermath when he gave an interview in which he said he couldn’t wait to go back to his home club and “get hammered” with friends and family.

Fans could relate to that. We hadn’t seen or heard such honesty for a long time, since John Daly. Everyone saw this guy as a sort of ‘people’s champion’. Was he ready for such popularity and acclaim? Who would be?

In a European Tour blog in which he admitted to various mental struggles over the last couple of years, he wrote: “You’ve got to remember, I’m a normal geezer from Finchley. Next thing, I see a poll over in America asking fans: ‘Who are you looking forward to seeing more?’ I was above Tiger Woods. To get your head around that is very tough, and then came the pressure I put on myself to perform.”

People loved the beard, the innocence and the fact he was very

relatable to the average golfer. But was the golf game there to live up to his new-found popularity? No. Potentially it was, but this was a guy who’d come off the Challenge Tour the season before, playing in front of one man and his dog. To be thrust into a golfing spotlight like that was unfair. It’s not anyone’s fault – the golfing public adored him, and rightly so. But the adulation was unwarranted at the time.

He’d won a lower-tier European Tour event – don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great achievement, but the field wasn’t a particularly strong one – and he’d become the golfing equivalent of One Direction. It must have been so difficult to handle. I once attended an event put on by one of his sponsors, Arby’s, in the States. We walked into a reception that only Justin Bieber would have been able to handle.

Beef had a great finish at the 2016 Open in Troon, but since then, while his form has been decent in parts, there hasn’t been a huge amount to shout about. Since his Spanish Open win, he’s also broken up with a long-term girlfriend and parted ways with his coach and caddie.

So it was fantastic to see his final-round 62 at the Scottish Open. It propelled him into a tie for 4th place

– his best finish since March 2018. He was fighting off the tears in his post-round interview and you could see just how much it meant to him. He didn’t seem to care that much about the finish – he was just seemingly so relieved to be out of the darkness. It was fantastic to see.

Now he’s back in this position, I believe he’ll have learned a great deal about what not to do, and that’s as important as what to do. I think he’ll learn to say no to a few more things. There’s no doubt that giving time to others is energy sapping, and he needs to put himself first. Yes, you must speak to the media and spend some time with the fans, but within reason. Look at the great players – they have all learned to say no. To keep mental strength and freshness is just as important as any physical ability when it comes to professional golf.

I think a lot of young professionals can learn from what Beef has gone through and I also feel that he’ll now go on to play better golf than he ever has. Hopefully now people will let him get on with things and go about his business as a professional golfer. I’m really happy that he’s come through a difficult period, even though I’m sure there’s still work to do in that regard.

Into the light mate. Rev up the steaks. Welcome back, Beef. You’ll always be a people’s champion.

“Was ‘Beef’ ready for such popularity and acclaim? Who would be?”